


Lily

by Chelseadaggz



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 10:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2306288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chelseadaggz/pseuds/Chelseadaggz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt on Tumblr, Regina has recently had a baby, the father assumed to be Robin Hood yet when Emma comes to visit, the child's parentage is brought under scrutiny...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lily

“Well, well, well” the drawl had her stomach fluttering in a way that should be forbidden for a woman of her marital status, thoughts far from dark yet close to sinful running through her mind “new motherhood certainly suits you Madam Mayor.” Heat pooling low in her belly that was most definitely forbidden.

“What can I do for you, Sheriff?” she asked, feigning indifference, as she looked up to find the younger woman leaning so casually against the living room door frame, Regina’s hand remaining on the crib in which her daughter was babbling softly, a tiny fist clenching and unclenching as she discovered herself. Her free hand moved to rest over her stomach, still slightly stretched from the birth only thirteen days previous.

It was a tell Emma knew well, a sign of discomfort she had noticed more than a few times over her time here, her extensive time in Regina’s presence and, perhaps, a hint of self-consciousness that she needn’t feel. Her hair was tied up, something Emma had never seen the woman do before yet could not deny how much it suited her, loose strands trailing down to rest just below her shoulders. Olive toned skin always so flawless in complexion practically glowed, happiness seeping from her pores. She wore a loose fitting, wide knit grey jumper that hung from one shoulder paired with pale blue jeans that clung to toned legs. Dark eyes ever expressive sparkling with new love, a gentle thumb stroking over the sole of the small foot that had risen and nudged her hand from it’s resting place, the move so instinctual it had a soft smile spreading across the blonde’s face. “You look good.”

Regina laughed at that, dark eyes rolling in dismissal though a blush coloured her cheeks before she could stop it. “Don’t lie to me, Miss Swan.” Chocolate eyes found Emma to be smiling at her in a way that could almost be described as fond, the crinkling of emerald eyes telling a story of affection that had the brunette faltering somewhat as her voice fell into a soft whisper, “you never have before.”

The younger woman’s smile remained as she stepped away from the doorframe and further into the room, closer to Regina, basking in the smell of talcum powder paired with the familiarity of the woman before her, all vanilla and spice now softened into something that could only be described as motherly, “and I never will.”

It was the discontented cry from a child still kicking out for attention that had both women blinking rapidly as they were pulled back from the spell they seemed to have fallen under, Emma stepping back with an awkward smile, realising how close they had come in so few minutes, whilst Regina instantly jumped into maternal mode, bending down to scoop up her squirming daughter into her strong arms, a pale pink blanket caught between both mother and child before Emma leaned forward to slide it back into the basinet, a small noise of thanks from Regina had the blonde smiling warmly once more.

Instantly, as soon as the brunette began speaking soothing words and gentle hushes, the crying faded, only small whimpers left behind as a tiny palm came to rest against Regina’s smiling cheek, tiny fingers curling into the warm skin, a soft hum of laughter expelled on a breath as the brunette looked down upon the miracle in her arms, the baby she’d never believed to have been possible for her.

“There’s my good girl,” she cooed softly, rocking from side to side, little fingers scratching harmlessly at her skin as they curled into her face, almost caressing as they moved. The subtle scent of lavender had her aware of Emma’s sudden closeness even before the woman spoke.

“She…” Emma breathed, air stolen from her lungs as she looked down upon the dark haired bundle in Regina’s arms, so tiny, so like the tiny figure she glimpsed briefly when the nurses had taken Henry away, so like the same baby she’d held in her arms in the memories Regina had bestowed upon her. “She’s beautiful.” The smile Regina gave in response was nothing short of breathtaking as she looked up at the blonde, their gazes locking as she let out on an exhale, green eyes moving between warm brown “just like her mother.”

Before either could even begin to process what was transpiring between them, the baby’s head turned away from it’s resting place against Regina’s chest, startling emerald eyes falling upon Emma as did a tiny hand, mirroring the position in which the other lay, palm flat against the blonde’s face, a sharp gasp escaping both women as the room burst into bright white.

_Heavy breaths were all that could be heard, all that broke the silence of the room, shuddered pants interrupted only by wanton whimpers that did little to move sweat dampened hair stuck to flushed faces mere inches apart. Their noses brushed each time Regina exhaled, Emma moving with the rise and fall of her chest, lips brushing lightly, mouths open to suck in much needed air. Their legs were slick with both the exertion of their previous acts and the arousal still coating spread thighs._

_The fire that had led them here, the explosive heat that had clothes ripped from bodies, limbs entangled and sighs of pleasure the soundtrack to their union, had simmered down into something else, something more._

_Dark, molten eyes flickered between green, searching, delving, discovering. Her hands remained above her head, knuckles pressed together, fingers interlaced with Emma’s as they were held loosely in place. The blonde leaned down, slowly, ever so slowly to capture the older woman’s bottom lip between hers, humming lowly as the brunette’s lips pursed around her own, lingering for as long as Emma would allow, heated skin sticking every time it came into contact, heavy breaths still audible as they held on._

_Foreheads creased with confused emotions as their kisses grew stronger, their breaths deeper and moans louder as tongues slid, breasts brushed and bodies rocked once again, a lone wedding band laying upon the vanity allowing Regina to forget for just one night, just one night._

The blonde stumbled back as the baby’s hand fell from her cheek, face turning back into her mother’s heaving chest, the smell of Regina lulling her to contented sleep as both women could only stare at one another, eyes wide and mouths agape. The images of that night already ever present in their minds now burned behind their eyelids.

“I…”   
“Did she…” both choked out, eyes falling to the slumbering child before finding each other again, “what the hell just happened?”

Regina’s head shook from side to side slowly, mouth opening and closing at both the shock that her daughter possessed magical powers, a gift or a curse she hadn’t decided yet, and the sheer intensity of feelings, of emotions the memory had brought out. Every detail, every smell, she could almost taste Emma on her tongue, the salt from the sweat that had dripped down her throat, the cherry from the chapstick she’d been wearing, the balm like a ghost on the lips her fingers had risen to touch, trembling as they moved.

“Regina,” Emma breathed, closer now, eyes tracing the features of the baby as if finally truly looking at her, never breaking her gaze as she spoke, “she has my eyes.”

 

A choked sob escaped from deep within the brunette at Emma’s utterance for she had thought the same thing the first time she had seen those bright emerald eyes in the confines of the hospital. It had left her speechless for a long time after, loathe to look away from her daughter’s eyes at all.

“Your child has my goddamn eyes!” she repeated, her voice raising with the panicked desperation creeping into her body, flowing through her veins as her breathing picked up, heart beating faster. “Regina-”

“I know!” They both fell silent for a long moment, both looking at the baby still sleeping soundly before the brunette moved to place her back into the crib, tucking the pastel coloured blanket around her tightly, ensuring her to be safe before gesturing for them to leave the room. She grabbed the baby monitor from the coffee table after turning the main one beside the crib on and following Emma out the door, closing it softly behind them before facing the woman before her.

“How is that even possible?” she jumped straight in, her voice a strained whisper, her eyes falling to the door behind Regina’s head as though she could see through to where the baby slept. She looked back to find the older woman staring at the floor, one arm crossed over her body to cling to the other hanging limply at her side, shoulders dropped in a stance that was so far from the woman she knew, it had her softening almost instantly as she ducked her head slightly to catch her dark gaze, startled to find tears there. “Is it possible?”

She blinked hard, her breathing shuddered as she used a finger to catch the tear that had rolled down her cheek before braving herself and looking up, her heart stuttering at the way Emma was looking at her. The confusion, the compassion, the…the hope? “I…I don’t know…” It was the only answer she give, the only one she knew to give because if Emma really was the other mother…if they had managed to create something so wonderful after just one night together, one passion filled night that neither could bring themselves to call a mistake…well then, what did that mean?

“It was…” Emma began, words failing her with the strangeness of the situation she now found herself in, the nearness of Regina, the scent of her not helping in any way, “it was just one time…” though she wished it had been more despite the guilt she felt whenever she looked at Robin, the unease that rolled through her stomach whenever she watched him with Regina, his arms around her, his hands when they had rested over her protruding belly through pregnancy, rubbing the strained skin there, knowing he got to love her every night, to hold her, to soothe her in ways that Emma could only yearn for.

“I’ve heard tell…” Regina began, her voice as soft as Emma had ever heard it, her eyes reddening with the soreness tears always brought, she hadn’t bothered to wipe away the wetness that had followed first for they would only be replaced with more tears, “in our land, it wasn’t…uncommon for women to…” she nodded as though to indicate what she meant without having to say it, for what could she say?

“Make love?”

Her mouth dropped open at the quiet words that had escaped the blonde’s mouth, a surprise to both her and the woman speaking if her wide eyes were anything to go by, though she didn’t retract the statement, merely waited with complete vulnerability as her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth.

“To…well, yes.” She could tell the younger woman was waiting for her to say it, to admit that she had felt it too, the perfection that came with the coating of liquid upon her thigh when she had finally pushed the blonde over the edge, the rightness that came with the heavy breaths tickling against her neck when Emma had collapsed, boneless against her…the completion of soul that only strengthened with every lingering kiss they’d shared that night. “To make love.” The relief in Emma’s eyes was worth any embarrassment admitting her feelings brought, it was worth it all, “there were tales of those who had conceived, had been given a gift from the heavens…a child.”

“Did you-”

“Not until today,” Regina cut in, already knowing what Emma was going to ask, her heart pounding as she voiced words she was still not sure she should allow herself to believe…should allow herself to want to believe “not until I looked from her eyes directly into yours…”

“Wow.” the blonde let out, eyes falling to the side of Regina, back to the door behind which the baby lay sleeping…what was possibly her baby. She cleared her throat then, stood up a little taller as she looked back to the brunette who had yet to look away, chocolate eyes tracking Emma’s face “does she have a name yet?” she asked tentatively, softly, allowing the older woman the chance to answer in the way she felt best, “you don’t have to tell-”

“Lily,” Regina cut in once more, a soft smile on her face as she watched Emma’s eyebrows raise in awe, her lips tugging up in wonder as she allowed the name to roll from her tongue.

“Lily Mills,” she gave a little laugh at the rightness of the name, a pang of something else at the unspoken ‘Swan-Mills’ she imagined in the confines of her mind, “it’s a beautiful name Regina.” And it was, it truly was…she just couldn’t get the image of the two of them sitting together, Regina resting between Emma’s legs as the blonde held her close, head beside hers, gentle kisses pressed to the skin of her neck as they volleyed back and forth between names. The brunette throwing her head back in laughter at the idiotic names Emma would suggest simply for that reason, simply to hear her laugh. The way she would trail her fingers over the swollen stomach holding their baby, her palm pressing flat against the bump waiting for a kick to indicate if the baby liked a name or not, the gentle smile that would grace Regina’s face when Emma would move, lay her down gently on the couch cushions, her dark hair fanned out behind her as the blonde would press kisses to the place in which she knew the head to be because Whale would have told them at the scan, singing Baby Mine to Regina’s stomach because she knew how much the woman loved the movie Beaches. It was a beautiful picture she wished she could keep, could save to look at in her most despairing of moments. “Lily Mills…”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“And this,” Emma spoke as though giving the finest of tours, her voice still soft to accommodate Lily’s little ears, when, in reality, they were merely standing in the Sheriff’s station, the room smelling of her earlier indulgence in the pastries Regina had brought with her, the blonde with Lily in her arms, Regina with an empty car seat rocking gently against her body as it dangled from the arm she had crossed over the other, “this is where I work Lils.”

She smiled fondly at the nickname Emma had given the baby, watching as a lean finger came up to assuage Lily’s waving hand, tiny digits instantly wrapping around the blonde’s, placated immediately. Watching the two together was almost soothing to her, the way in which Emma would shift the position in which she held the baby should she begin fussing even the slightest, the closing of green eyes when the blonde had lifted Lily up to place a kiss to her dark mop of hair, taking in a lungful of the smell both wish they could bottle and keep forever.

“Over here,” she moved over to the jail cell, “is where we keep Uncle Leroy when he’s been a naughty boy,” she smirked at the hum of laughter that came from behind where Regina leaned casually against her desk, having moved closer at the same time as she did. “Your Mama’s also been in here a couple times,” she staged whispered to the child, yelping when Regina threw a plushy toy that had been previously placed in Lily’s car seat. “Hey,” she laughed as she bent down to pick it up, careful to keep her daughter close to her chest, safe in her embrace, “this is a no throwing zone.”

The brunette let out a bark of laughter before turning her gaze pointedly to the overflowing bin, paper balls resting beside it, evidence of a recent game of waste paper basketball. She raised an eyebrow waiting for the excuse that was sure to follow but instead could only smirk triumphantly when Emma merely grumbled in response, the ‘yeah, yeah laugh it up’ not needed in this instance.

The younger woman moved swiftly but smoothly as she lowered herself down into the chair behind her desk, Regina swivelling on top of the desk in order to look down upon her and Lily, a move so reminiscent of their early, more unpleasant encounters in this office yet now, with a child created from what was, apparently, true love, their true love, though neither had actually spoken about it since Whale had revealed the results of the DNA test, sworn to secrecy with threats of a slow painful death, Emma‘s words surprisingly, if he didn‘t comply, the ring shining on Regina’s finger a reminder of why they couldn’t…shouldn’t talk about it, Emma couldn’t help but wonder.

“What’s on your mind?” Regina asked, her eyes falling to the thumb rubbing soothing circles on the skin of Lily’s arm, her eyes drooping, blinks growing longer as the infant fought inevitable sleep, a tender smile on her face as she just watched her daughter, revelled in each little breath she took.

Emma sighed, looking away from their baby and up to Regina, “I’m just…” she began, her brow furrowing as she sighed heavily, a sound that spoke volumes, “when did it all get so complicated?”

Shaped eyebrows rose then, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “when has it ever not been complicated with us my dear?” she asked, the truth of the rhetorical question allowing a small laugh to escape the blonde’s lips, sharing a smile with the woman atop her desk before she looked back to the baby cradled in her arms, small lips puckered and moving as though sucking from a teat, it truly was adorable to witness.

“I just wish things were different,” Regina didn’t miss the way her gaze briefly flickered over to the ring that had been laying heavy on her left hand for a long time now before green eyes met her own, such emotion swirling with their depths, “you know?”

She too could only look at Lily now, watch the way her tiny features creased in sleep before answering with a resigned sigh, “I know,” her throat tightened slightly with emotion as she allowed a quick look to the woman who had captured her heart so long ago, “I know.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
“I’m sorry?”

Robin sighed as he pulled his socks from the top drawer of the unit they shared, his head shaking as he looked back at her once, frustration evident in blue eyes before he looked back to the material in his hands, “I asked when it was that you checked out of this relationship.”

His voice was hard, cold, colder than she’d ever heard him and that had her coming back to the present, out of her mind, a small creeping guilt beginning to spread over her, shame her as she finally listened to him, the man who had pushed past her walls despite her initial fighting and had brought her back into the light. “I haven’t-”

“When was the last time we had sex?” he asked, the terminology so different to that of Emma’s, it didn’t go unnoticed but it was stored away as her own brow furrowed to mirror his. If she were being honest, she couldn’t remember, couldn’t recall the last time they’d been intimate at all save for the fleeting kisses she accepted more out of obligation with her feelings so in a mess, her mind with someone else, her heart belonging to another… “I mean, I understood whilst you were pregnant,” he broke into her thoughts once more, his words biting as he continued to dress for the day, “you were sick all the time, you didn’t feel up to it and I don’t begrudge you that but…Regina, I can’t even remember the last time you let me hold you, never mind fuck you.”

Her eyes screwed shut at that, the language always jarring, making her cringe whenever she’d heard it described as such a thing, something dirty, something coarse and shameful sounding, the sound of back alley cats and broken bottles. “Do you have to call it that?” she asked, her eyes still closed.

“What?” he turned on her then, his eyes piercing and though she could not see them, she could certainly feel them burning into her, something different in him now, “you don’t like when I call it that? Don’t like me talking dirty Regina?” she could feel him moving closer, his breath hot on her skin as he lowered himself down onto his knees before her, it was a seduction technique he had used early on in their relationship, one she had used herself so many decades ago…one it only shamed her to think of now “you don’t want me to rip this nightgown from your hot little body and take you right now?” she jumped when his hand came into contact with the bare skin of her thigh, the material of her slip moving up to reveal more of her to him, his mouth moving across her jaw, stubble scratching at her skin in a way that had her cringing back, something he tried to ignore as he continued, hand inching further upwards as his tongue darted out to lick the skin behind her ear, “don’t you want my mouth on you?” he carried on, his breathing growing heavier as she felt him hardening against her leg, his cologne somewhat choking as she tried to steady her breathing, one hand leaving her thigh to trail up her side, up and up to cup her breast, kneading the flesh roughly as he sucked sensitive skin into his mouth, something that should have felt so good only had her biting back a sob, “all over you…”

It was when his fingers stroked over the material of her panties, still dry, that she flinched back, hand moving to cover her mouth, to contain a whimper as he stilled completely, the air between them growing thick as dark eyes scrunched shut. Hands that had been forced back when she moved tightened somewhat on her thighs, almost painfully. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Her heart pounded at his tone, the anger lacing every syllable as she finally allowed herself to look at him, to take in the fury that was his eyes, the rage that tightened every muscle of his face, so tense, so angry in recent times. “Robin I-”

“Save it Regina,” he practically spat as he stood away from her, shoulders tense, jaw set tight, eyes closing as he inhaled steadying breaths…it was a little intimidating but she still stood as he did, a hand coming to lay against the warm skin of his back in attempts to apologise…to excuse the way she shrunk away from her husband‘s touch.

She didn’t see it coming, never would have believed him to be capable of such a thing, hell, she didn’t even register it until she had to blink the warm, thick liquid away, the blood, her blood.

Her hand shook as it came up to touch the gash that had been created in the corner of her eyebrow when her face had connected with the edge of the bed, the sharp wooden corner of the frame having split her skin. She gasped at the feel of the cut, the searing pain that became a dull pounding throughout her head had her grimacing, eyes narrowing in pain before they widened as she looked up at him.

His mouth was agape, his hand still held in midair, the position suggesting that he had backhanded her in attempts of getting her to stop touching him. “Regina I-” but he was cut off by the sound of Lily’s cries echoing down the hall from the nursery, the banging having woken her, the brunette up and moving quickly out of the room before he could say anymore.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Hey they baby girl,” she breathed out, the words shuddered as she rocked Lily, her arms tight around the child as though needing to protect her, “it’s okay,” she choked out through the hacking sobs she was attempting to quieten, to hold in, the reality of what had happened beginning to dawn on her, the pain in her head not fading and allowing her to chalk it up to some weird daydream for it had happened…he’d struck her. “We’re okay,” she spluttered out on a whimper as she sunk to her knees on the thick beige carpet of the nursery, Lily’s hand moving up to rest against her cheek, her daughter’s magic instinctively moving through her, seeping into her skin, soft tendrils encasing her heart with a warmth that had her breaths coming easier but her cries coming harder as she heard the front door slamming shut…white light behind her eyelids forming a picture that only had her sobs growing as Lily pushed forward the image of herself and Emma, mere days ago, fawning over the child the brunette had held in her arms, golden hair draping over Regina’s shoulder as the blonde stood behind her, gentle hands on her shoulders as she blew raspberries down at the smiling baby…a picture of pure happiness.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Regina?”

Her voice echoed throughout the foyer, her brow furrowed at the lack of response. Regina’s car was in the drive, the front door unlocked and the woman’s keys laying in the pot on the table beside the door, not that Emma knew what Regina’s keys looked like, hadn’t found herself looking over every keychain, every item the woman had thought to attach to the links, not at all.

“Regina?” she moved further into the house, boots echoing on the floor of the foyer as she looked around, listened for any sign of life within the house. Usually at this time, having been spending more and more time at the mansion lately, stealing moments with Lily that wouldn’t arouse suspicion with Regina’s husband, wouldn’t have him questioning the change before they had even talked about it properly, the brunette would usually have some kind of lunch cooking, the remnants of a meal in the kitchen, a delicious smell lingering throughout the house but today…nothing. It was strange, especially given the fact the woman knew Emma was coming, had made the arrangements herself knowing it was Robin’s afternoon to look after the animal shelter with David still holding up shifts at the station part-time.

She popped her head into the living room, the television being off was no surprise, the only use it got was when Henry stayed over or Robin was home according to Regina. The crib kept ready for when Lily was brought down for the day was also empty, now that was strange. They had both laughed when the brunette had attempted to explain that teaching their 3 month old a daily routine was worth while whilst Emma had exclaimed the ludicrousness of such a thing…so unless Regina had caved and given up, which the blonde highly doubted, then they must have been somewhere else in the house…

Finding the kitchen empty also, bereft of any kind of activity, another strange thing for a woman such as Regina, an organiser, a creature of habit and a bona fide coffee addict, Emma looked to the staircase that lined both walls of the house. She’d been upstairs only once before, the memory of that night never far from her mind, especially recently with the smell of Regina a practical constant in her life, the sound of her voice never far away from her thoughts, every detail of the woman’s face memorised along with practically every expression. So it was with one last unanswered call of the woman’s name that Emma began the ascent to the upper level, her heart dropping in her stomach as soon as she heard the first whimper floating down upon the air, her legs instantly carrying her up the last of the steps two at a time.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

He had to leave, had to. His nostrils flared as he continued walking, his anger dissipating somewhat as grief crept in slowly, the image of her shock, the crimson line running down her face ingrained into his mind but he couldn’t help it, he’d just snapped.

They’d started out so incredibly, he’d wooed her, he’d pursued her and he’d won her heart, earned the right to love her…and love her he had. He’d spent many a morning just looking at her, glad to have woken up before she meaning he’d see her at her best, unburdened with daily life, no stress, no worries, just contented happiness.

He couldn’t put his finger on when it had begun to change, when she’d began drifting from him but…she had. His Regina had gone, the warmth that always lingered with him throughout the day after holding her throughout the night had disappeared. She’d turn from him in the night, pull away from his seeking arms as soon as they made contact claiming that she was too hot, the room too stuffy for cuddling. They used to spend hours just revelling in one another, long languid kisses that took away any concept of time, smiles pressing together when they could no longer contain their happiness…where had it all gone.

He hadn’t meant to strike her, would never dream of doing such a thing but there was something in him now, something that had been brewing over the last few months, something darkening within his good heart, something akin to a deep rage.

Robin didn’t see the doctor until he had walked practically head on into the man, “woah,” Whale laughed unamusedly, his cold eyes narrowing as he looked at the unapologetic man before him, “you wanna watch where you’re going pal?”

Robin merely scowled in response before moving to walk past the red-headed buffoon, knowing all too well why his wife hated the man so much. His next words, however, had the outlaw stopping dead in his tracks.

“It’s not my fault you married a dyke.”

He was pressed hard against the brick wall beside him, his brow furrowed as he only just registered the lightning quick change in position, his breathing heavy as a strong arm pressed against his sternum. “What did you just say?” Robin bit out, blue eyes hard as he waited for Whale’s answer, certainly not calmed by the growing smirk on the conniving man’s reddening face.

The doctor merely laughed, the sound growing more maniacal the harder Robin pushed against him, a fist raised ready to pummel the man before he remembered himself…remembered what he had done only minutes before and in doing so released Whale, a huff of air the only indication of his discomfort at Robin’s hands.

“I don’t have to listen to this,” he breathed, his eyes on the ground now, sick of the sight of the doctor’s growing smirk, his legs moving him away from the man, away from his rage.

Whale gave one last laugh of amusement before turning to continue on his own way, but not before saying the one thing that could rock Robin’s entire world, that could send an already falling man completely into oblivion.   
“I was surprised to when I found out that dykes could reproduce,” the sneer had the blood freezing in Robin’s veins, the stark image of emerald green eyes so unlike his and Regina’s coming to the forefront of his mind, the next being a cascade of golden curls that he’d seen so much more in the past few months, starting just prior to Lily’s birth. “I guess true love can do anything huh?” and with that he was gone…as was the last of the archer’s sanity.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Emma spoke into dark hair, her hand still holding the woman’s face into the crook of her neck, another arm wrapped tightly around her back where they kneeled on the carpet of their child’s room. She could feel the wetness of both tears and, sickeningly, blood soaking into her skin. Her breathing was ragged as she fought back her own tears, the sight of Regina, a woman so strong, so resilient, so…everything, reduced to a quivering mess clinging on to her baby, the only thing she had in that moment to allow herself to cling on.

Lily now sat in her sit-me-up portable bouncy chair that Regina often placed her in at different moments of the day in different rooms. Small figures hung from a bar that ran in an arch over the top just out of her reach, animals rocking every time she moved, small gurgles emitted from Lily’s mouth every time she managed to touch one with the tip of her little fingers.

“He didn’t mean it…”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Emma choked out, her words meant to scold, to reprimand the woman for excusing his behaviour but the effect was lost with the cracking of her voice, falling to a mere whisper as she turned her own head further into Regina, burrowing into the woman still pressed tightly against her, “no one has the right to do that to you,” they were words she had spoken to the brunette before, in times when they had revealed the more personal details of their pasts, times of Kings and evil foster dads, “no one.”

She didn’t know who had started the rocking, hadn’t registered when Emma had begun stroking a hand through her hair but found herself humming softly at the feel of it, her brow unfurrowing as she practically melted into the woman, the feeling of clinging desperation leaking away to make way for the act of just being in the blonde’s comforting embrace. Warmth she hadn’t felt for such a long time, hadn’t allowed herself to accept, save for that one night she had succumbed, had hoped would sate her desire for the woman and not ignite it further, was seeping in to every tired limb, every muscle that ached from the tension that had taken root in her body so long ago. She found herself sighing, humming almost as the fingers not keeping her head in place began tracing random patterns on her bare back, sometimes catching at the spaghetti strap of her nightgown. Her bare knees were beginning to hurt as they continued to kneel on the ground though she couldn’t find it within herself to move, to pull away, to pull out of the safety she had found in the blonde’s arms. Golden curls smelled of lavender, of vanilla and of home.

“We need to get you cleaned up,” Emma sighed an undetermined amount of time later, her grip never weakening even as Regina nodded, burrowed her face in further, her forehead now moving to rest on the blonde’s shoulder as she breathed her in, her fingers curling into the fabric of her jacket, the cool material almost squeaking under her touch, a soft chuckle vibrating through Emma’s chest having Regina leaning back just to see the emotion dancing in green eyes. “Damn pleather” was the younger woman’s only answer at the brunette’s look of confusion, “way to ruin the moment.”

She was sure her breath hitching wasn’t as audible as it sounded in her head, that her madly beating heart wasn’t visible to the naked eye, “we were having a moment?” the question was so vulnerable in it’s execution that Emma couldn’t help the hand that came up to stroke back the lock of dark hair beginning to harden as the blood from Regina’s cut dried, her face creasing in displeasure at the sight of the gash marking such a beautiful face.

“Every moment is special with you Regina,” she breathed, watching the way brown eyes glazed over with a light sheen of tears, “and I swear that didn’t sound so goddamn cheesy in my head.”

The brunette laughed then, the jarring of her body as she chuckled had one tear falling free, easily caught by one of Emma’s fingers, her own hand instantly rising to gently hold the blonde’s wrist, a fluttering pulse beneath her thumb indicating she wasn’t the only one to be feeling so disorientated. “Now who’s ruining the moment…” she breathed out on a laugh which Emma reciprocated though a soberness fell over her face only seconds later, echoing the expression Regina’s own face held as dark eyes fell to look at barely parted lips.

It wasn’t a conscious decision, it never was with them, the need to reduce the space between them be it with fighting talk, biting remarks, backs pushed hard against walls, lips crashing down onto one another’s, body entangling…no matter the situation they always seemed drawn to one another.

They were within a mere inch of one another, sharing the same air, the same breath when the brass door handle made a considerable dent in the pastel coloured wallpaper as the door flew open. Fingers had just been trailing over soft skin when Lily’s cry rang out at the bang that seemed to shake the entire house, lips had almost been claimed when the foreboding figure of one, Robin Hood darkened the doorway of, what he had once thought to be, his daughter’s bedroom and it was certainly not Regina’s blood that stained the carpet as the first and only shot rang out and shook the entire town of Storybrooke, Maine…it was Emma’s.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Sweetheart,” Regina called from her place on the bench, sitting forward with her hands clinging to the edge, white knuckled as she refrained from standing, from moving closer and suffocating the child she still felt so blessed to have birthed. “You need to slow down before you hurt yourself.”

Blonde ringlets bounced against the bright red of the little girl’s thick red coat, little hands encased in black woolly gloves held out in front of her as she squealed and continued running forward despite her mother’s pleas.

“I really can’t believe how much she looks like her…” the woman beside her breathed, a soft laugh escaping Regina though she never looked away from her green-eyed little monster. “She has your lips, there’s no denying that,” Snow laughed at the all too familiar image of her granddaughter’s patented Mills pout, “and your impeccable skills of manipulation,” a shrill laugh escaped with Regina’s indignant protestation followed by a quick prod to her side, “but she is just so Emma…”

“I know,” Regina sighs, losing herself to the flash of green eyes that bursts through her mind whenever she allows herself to think of the blonde. The icy breeze flushes her skin as she pulls her black coat tighter around herself, her teeth chattering slightly with the cold as she watches Lily rounding the climbing frame with squeals of laughter, no worries in the world save for her current chaser, “I think it’s right about time to go,” she says as the urge to sneeze creeps upon her yet dissipates with every deep breath she takes, a sensation so annoyingly unsatisfying.

“No Mama!” comes her daughter’s plea from her hiding place beneath the climbing frame, her little hands clinging onto the structure pole, emerald eyes wide and oh so persuasive.

“I think she’s got you there Regina,” Snow laughs as she watches the corners of the brunette’s mouth lifting as she attempts to hide her own fond smile, puppy dog eyes something Henry had taught the five year old just before her had left for college, an expression she had thought he would take on his merry way and allow her to just remember with a begrudging fondness…then again, there was to be no chance of ridding herself of the manipulation technique when-

“Come on Mama,” she smirked as the hot breath dancing down her neck caused shivers to run down her spine, an amused scoff coming from beside her alerting her to the fact that the reaction hadn’t gone unmissed by Snow, “just 5 more minutes,” the voice continued in a technique of manipulation she had used only that morning in order to prolong their morning cuddles, “pleaseeeee”

She narrowed her eyes as she caught the leather gloved hands creeping over the exposed skin of her neck, pulling hard so that the woman fell further into her with a soft grunt of laughter. “You,” she gave right back in a tone that had her mother in-law standing instantly, her cheeks reddening for a reason other than the chilliness of the day as she made her way over to where Lily and Neal had resumed their chasing, “are in so much trouble later Emma Swan-Mills.”

"Mmm, I hope so…"

The tilting of her head back onto Emma’s strong shoulder allowed her a glimpse of the eyes that were never too far from her mind, allowed her to inhale a lungful of the woman’s essence she fell into a contented sleep to every night and a tender kiss from lips she savoured each and every time she thought back to that terrible day not too many years ago. The bullet had been meant for Regina, had been fired by a men driven mad with his own rage, his own jealousy, a path Regina knew all too well yet had been saved from. She had thought her life to have been over when she had heard the shot ring out, had waited for the pain to come, the searing heat of metal entering her flesh but…it hadn’t come. Her heart had stopped, had torn in two at the sight of the blonde laying before her, gasping for air to fill collapsing lungs, using the last of her breaths to whisper words of love for her daughter and the woman sobbing over her and then whiteness had come…a blinding whiteness not of death but of life.

Lily, a child whose existence was not only a miracle, not only a new legend within itself but a blessing to any whom she touched. Her natural magic being that of healing, healing wounds, healing hurt and healing hearts…Lily Swan-Mills, the truest of Saviors.

 


End file.
